Applying For Shakespeare In American Communities: Juvenile Justice

Shakespeare in American Communities welcomes applications from 501c3 non-profit professional theater companies located in the U.S. or the Native Nations that share this geography and:

• Have a minimum of two years’ experience partnering with the justice system to provide theater education programs.
• Do not have overdue reports or funding moratoria with Arts Midwest.
• Have a UEI number from SAM.gov on file by late April 2025 in order to receive grant funds. Apply for a free UEI at SAM.gov.

• Can comply with Federal eligibility requirements.

Programming must take place between August 1, 2025 – July 31, 2026.

Applicants may request grant awards ranging from $15,000 to $25,000.

These funds derive from Federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts (Assistance Listing #45.024: Promotion of the Arts_Grants to Organizations and Individuals).

Organizations may submit an application for only one Shakespeare in American Communities grant opportunity. You must choose between Schools, Juvenile Justice, or Apprenticeships.

Applicants will not be required to demonstrate matching funds on a 1:1 basis for their requested grant amount. For example, if an applicant requests a $15,000 Shakespeare grant, the total project budget may also be $15,000.

Each Shakespeare in American Communities: Juvenile Justice project must meet these requirements:

1. Conduct educational theater programming that explores and illuminates Shakespeare’s text, addressing his work in modern context through frequent contact over a significant number of visits.

• Examples of activities may include workshops, discussions, seminars, and residencies.
• Activities may be in-person or virtual.

2. Partner with at least one facility to reach youth in the juvenile justice system.

• Examples of facilities include detention centers, correctional facilities, court-appointed programs, treatment centers, transition centers, group homes, or educational schools/programs specifically for juvenile offenders or incarcerated youth.
• Juvenile offenders are defined as youth (age 17 or younger) who have committed a crime or offense that is punishable by law.

3. Engage a minimum of two teaching artists, staff, or personnel in theater education programming.

• Activities must be led by experienced teaching artists, staff, or personnel with strong credentials and experience working within the justice system.
• Teaching artists will be required to complete a survey at the midway and conclusion of programming to evaluate the impact of the program on participants.
• All performers and related or supporting professional personnel should be compensated at no less than the prevailing minimum compensation. (This requirement is in accordance with the regulations issued by the Secretary of Labor in part 505 of Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations.)

4. Participate in virtual and in-person convenings with other grantees

• Arts Midwest will host several virtual and one in-person networking and professional development convenings for Shakespeare in American Communities grantees. Travel, lodging, and limited food costs for one company representative will be covered by Arts Midwest for the in-person convening at the end of the grant cycle.

5. Provide a budget for the project that includes eligible expenses.

• Eligible expenses are those that directly relate to your programming. Examples include:
  • Artistic fees for actors, directors, designers, choreographers, etc.
  • Production costs of props, costumes, set, etc.
  • Travel costs associated with touring productions or artist travel
  • A prorated portion of staff salaries
  • Printing and marketing expenses
  • Other direct costs associated with the production and educational programming

• Please do not include unallowable costs in your budget. Unallowable costs include, but are not limited to:
  • Refreshments, concessions, food, and alcohol
  • Fellowships or cash prizes
  • Payment for facilities, purchase of capital equipment, or non-project related administrative expenses.
  • Overlapping project costs between federal awards, whether received directly from a federal agency or indirectly, such as through a state agency or other entity.
  • Entertainment costs, such as opening parties, receptions, or fundraisers designed to raise funds for your own organization and on behalf of another person, organization, or cause.
  • Programs restricted to any organization’s membership; programs must be promoted and available to the general public.

For all grant applications, we use an online platform called SmartSimple. Applicants will need to register if they are new to using the system. Previous applicants and grantees will be able to access the application by visiting the Funding Opportunities tile on the “Grants for Organizations” home page.

Step 1: Intent to Apply

An intent to apply is an initial step in the application process that confirms your organization’s eligibility for Shakespeare in American Communities. This step should only take 10-15 minutes. It is required in order to submit a full application.

Questions and requirements:

• Applicant organization details (EIN, UEI number from SAM.gov, annual operating budget, mission statement, organization location information, publicity name).
• Primary contact information
• Short summary of project activities (250 words)
• Project start and end dates
• Grant request amount

Step 2: Full Application

Summary and statistics for proposed activities

• Anticipated adults served, anticipated youth served
• Age range of participants
• Geographic areas reached

Narrative Questions

1. Briefly describe your organization’s history and achievements. (400 words)

2. Artistic Excellence and Merit of Programming (700 words)

• Explain your organization’s background and experience in providing educational activities to youth in the justice system. Provide details about any existing relationships with facilities.
• Describe the credentials of teaching artists or other staff who will lead these activities.

3. Depth of Audience Engagement (700 words)

• Explain how you will address the needs of students of different backgrounds, abilities, ages, and learning styles.
• If offering virtual or hybrid activities, describe how students will have access to the activities and how you will ensure participation and engagement.

4. Planning for Success (700 words)

• Describe the types of facilities you plan to partner with. Explain the level of security, the amount of time youth typically spend in the facility, if the youths’ participation in your programming is voluntary, etc.
• Describe how your company has the ability to pivot the proposed programming in response to unforeseen challenges.

5. Resource Management

• Organization’s total revenue (current fiscal year and last fiscal year)
• Organization’s total expenses (current fiscal year and last fiscal year)
• Project Budget

Applications are reviewed by an independent advisory panel. That panel is composed of a diverse group of arts and literature experts and other individuals with broad knowledge of community programs. Panel composition changes annually.

The panel will use four criteria in the review process. Each criterion is on a scale of (5) for a maximum of (20) points per application.

Grantees are selected based on:

• Artistic excellence and merit of programming. The panel will review the content of the theater education programming and the credentials and experience of teaching artists or actors, staff, or personnel.
• Depth of audience engagement. The panel will consider the plans to address the needs of students of different backgrounds, abilities, ages, and learning styles as well as potential .
• Planning for success. The panel will evaluate the plan for using the grant funds; a clear plan to navigate and adapt to the practical barriers of partnering with the justice system; and goals that are clearly stated and align with Shakespeare in American Communities: Juvenile Justice.
• Resource management. The panel will consider the applicant’s ability to manage and implement their proposed programming. This could include the evidence of the organization’s past work with the justice system; organizational expertise; proven fiscal responsibility; etc.

Apply

There is a two-step application process.

• Submit a mandatory intent to apply by January 30.
• Submit a complete application by February 13.

Arts Midwest staff will review applications for eligibility and completeness. We will follow up with any questions or corrections before applications proceed to the review stage.

Review

All complete and eligible applications will be reviewed by a panel in March and April of 2025.

Award

All applicants will receive an email notification of award decisions in May 2025.

Convening

Grantees should plan to send one representative to an in-person convening in Minnesota in Summer of 2026.

Programming

Funded project activities occur between August 1, 2025, and July 31, 2026. Final reports are due about a month after conclusion of planned activities.

Any changes or updates to planned activities should be communicated to Arts Midwest staff as early as possible.

Reporting 

A preliminary activity listing will be due 30 days before the project starts and a final report will be due 30 days after the project is completed. The final report consists of a final listing of events, statistics on audiences and artists, narratives, and a final budget. 

If you have additional questions, we invite you to join Grants Officer Joshua Feist for office hours. You can sign up for office hours using the links below:

• 11am-12pm CT Thursday, November 7, 2024. Sign up here.
• 11am-12pm CT Monday, December 9, 2024. Sign up here.

You can also always email Arts Midwest with your questions at grants@artsmidwest.org

Arts Midwest works to ensure that grant guidelines, presentations, and any other written materials are created with accessibility and disability experiences in mind.

We are happy to work with applicants on alternative formats, including but not limited to using an adapted form in Microsoft Word or taking verbal responses.

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